Top 100 Albums of 2011, Collected

Just like last year, I posted my top 100 albums of the year on Twitter. Below you’ll find the entire list, 100 through 1, with Spotify links, where available. At the end of the list I will attempt to summarize what it all means, spot trends (in my own listening as well as the musical year) and make a bold prediction for 2012. Excited? Let’s go.

100. Dolorean - The Unfazed // Portlanders end self-imposed 4-year hiatus w/ a quietly confident, stark but amiably poppy Americana record.

99. Danger Mouse & Daniel Luppi - Rome // More of a curio than essential listening, though w/ Jack White & Norah Jones on board…

98. The Strokes - Angles // Holding onto that old “Next Big Thing” status w/ all their might, but can’t quite reach their previous heights.

97. US Royalty - Mirrors // Pleasantly sunny full-length debut from a band I first discovered, almost by accident, more than 2 years ago.

96. Joseph Arthur - Graduation Ceremony // The prolific & polymathic Brooklynite returns w/ a low-key spin on his usual idiosyncratic pop.

95. Noah and the Whale - Last Night on Earth // Quietly building a solid career foundation, even if most everyone stopped paying attention.

94. WU LYF - Go Tell Fire to the Mountain // Hard-edged, punk-esque drums & vocals contrasted by beautifully shimmering, shoegaze guitar.

93. Shabazz Palaces - Black Up // Druggy dark, disjointed, elliptical, forward-thinking—the very definition of hipster hip-hop. Hipster-hop?

92. David Bazan - Strange Negotiations // Such a strange contrast of foreboding and comfort in that voice. At once unsettling and welcoming.

91. Drake - Take Care // Great production and hypnotic delivery throughout. If it seems like this is a token R&B list item, then so be it.

90. Wye Oak - Civilian // Like Beach House, but much less languid. Weird that both are from Baltimore, no? Must be something in the water.

89. Ben Lee - Deeper Into Dream // Ben dives into his unconscious mind, inspiring another album of positivity, hopefulness and catchy tunes.

88. Fountains of Wayne - Sky Full of Holes // Stacy’s mom may no longer have it goin’ on, but these Jersey boys still write witty power pop.

87. The Go! Team - Rolling Blackouts // The buzz has long since faded away, but these retro dance party purveyors are still getting it done.

86. Slow Club - Paradise // English duo is at its best when it sticks to cheery uptempo pop that shimmers & shimmies, like on “Two Cousins”.

85. Body Language - Social Studies // Kaleidoscopic electro pop born in a tiny Brooklyn basement & best suited for expansive dance floors.

84. Caitlin Rose - Own Side Now // Part of a new generation of traditionalist country gals poised to assume the Alison/Gillian/Patty throne.

83. Alison Krauss & Union Station - Paper Airplane // Figured I should have some token bluegrass to go w/ my token hiphop—this one’s worthy.

82. Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost // Noisy, except when it’s not. Unassuming, except when it grabs your attention. A study in contrasts.

81. Wild Flag - S/T // The dream of the ’90s is alive and well in Portland. #hadtosayit But seriously, this is great retro girl-power rock.

80. Fruit Bats - Tripper // This ’70s-esque album would rank much higher if my favorite track “WACS” weren’t relegated to b-side status.

79. James Blake - S/T // Is it okay if I compare him to a chopped-up, slowed-down Rick Astley? Is it weird if I mean that as a compliment?

78. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy // Clanging, jarring, intricate guitar licks juxtaposed w/ the angelic (but forceful) voice of Annie Clark.

77. Cloud Nothings - S/T // Lazy, hazy bedroom surf-rock from… Cleveland? The young Dylan Baldi has already set the bar high. Where to next?

76. The Kills - Blood Pressures // Mosshart/Hince finally collect a bevy of good songs to back up their endless supply of rockstar swagger.

75. Joseph Giant - S/T // Ebullient acoustic folk, or as he himself (Joe Syverson) calls it, “trucker country”. Whatever it is, I want more.

74. The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? // Expectations were low; final marks are high. ’50s & ’60s pop/rock made new.

73. Josh Rouse - Josh Rouse & The Long Vacations // Restless style-hopper Rouse takes a spin w/ the café stylings of a riviera troubadour.

72. Florence + The Machine - Ceremonials // Ms. Welch in full diva mode—bombastic arrangements highlighted by those always stunning pipes.

71. Telekinesis - 12 Desperate Straight Lines // Rambunctious, infectious indie pop/rock from Seattle’s own Michael Benjamin Lerner.

70. Lia Ices - Grown Unknown // The voice of a wood elf & the instrumentation to back it up. For Florence Welch fans looking for quietude.

69. The War on Drugs - Slave Ambient // Know how you can see dust in beams of sunlight & it seemingly dances around? This sounds like that.

68. EMA - Past Life, Martyred Saints // Reminiscent of a ’90s Liz Phair record, which is to say it’s biting, honest and a tad gnarled.

67. David Wax Museum - Everything Is Saved // Finds unity in Mexican roots music & middle American folk, creating a new mezclado heritage.

66. Handsome Furs - Sound Kapital // Sadly not quite as stellar as Face Control, but: there’s a naked lady on the cover. #countsforsomething

65. Richard Buckner - Our Blood // I kinda forgot about him since ‘98’s Since, so I can’t say it’s a return to form, but it is quite good.

64. DeVotchKa - 100 Lovers // Like (how I imagine) an eastern European winter, there’s a harsh beauty to this 21st century gypsy rock.

63. Common - The Dreamer, The Believer // Sneaking onto this list w/ one of the last 2011 releases is easy with jams like “Lovin’ I Lost”.

62. Centro-matic - Candidate Waltz // My lack of familiarity w/ the Denton, TX roots rockers before now must surely be rectified in 2012.

61. Say Hi - Um, Uh Oh // It took nearly a decade, but Eric Elbogen finally made a believer out of me w/ his 7th album of introspective pop.

60. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake // Polly Jean tackles the vagaries of war; it doesn’t stand much chance against her haunting delivery.

59. Tom Waits - Bad As Me // A true scavenger, Waits finds pretty things in other people’s trash. Bad is good in the junkyards of the soul.

58. Mountain Goats - All Eternals Deck // John Darnielle’s 13th (!) album finds him just as wryly plaintive (and defiant) as usual.

57. Washed Out - Within and Without // I can’t not play T’Pau’s “Heart & Soul” after each time I hear “Eyes Be Closed”. Trust me: #sogreat

56. Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes // Slinky vocals, industrial rhythms; an LP that bridges the gap between the discotheque and the after party.

55. The Rural Alberta Advantage - Departing // Effortless pop hooks merged with Southern rock that’s actually from Canada. Weird, eh?

54. Givers - In Light // Endlessly upbeat Lafayette-based pop-rock outfit bounces vocals from male to female with aplomb on their debut LP.

53. Alela Diane - Alela Diane & Wild Divine // The steadily rising Alela & her band mix grit & harmonies w/ twangy roadhouse country tunes.

52. Tennis - Cape Dory // Husband & wife team go sailing for 7 months, come back, form a band. Is it really that easy? They make it seem so.

51. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light // Made in Dave’s garage state-of-the-art studio, the Foo’s 7th captures old ferocity & charisma.

50. Blind Pilot - We Are the Tide // Can someone explain how The Head and the Heart are massively popular and this band isn’t? C’mon people.

49. Middle Brother - Middle Brother // Deer Tick, Dawes & Delta Spirit frontmen form a band that’s startlingly better than their day jobs.

48. Wilco - The Whole Love // If this is “dad rock”, why don’t I have a kid running wild? Tweedy & co. may not be flashy, but they’re great.

47. Laura Marling - A Creature I Don’t Know // Sounds like someone’s been listening to a lot of Blue & Ladies of the Canyon. #neverabadthing

46. Bright Eyes - The People’s Key // Conor Oberst’s latest (and last?) LP under the Bright Eyes moniker is uncharacteristically chipper.

45. Gold Leaves - The Ornament // Former Arthur & Yu frontman Grant Olsen branches out with wall-of-sound arrangements for tiny folk songs.

44. Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin’ // The soul revivalist roughens his edges a bit, but maintains a groove that’ll get your booty shakin’.

43. Gillian Welch - The Harrow and the Harvest // Certainly not her most immediate nor sunniest work, but very much worth the challenge.

42. Speaking Clock Revue - Live from the Beacon Theatre // T-Bone Burnett & tons of friends (Neko, Elton, Elvis, etc) show off their chops.

41. Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and Keys // A post-Narrow Stairs letdown was perhaps inevitable, but don’t count out these boys quite yet.

40. Alexi Murdoch - Towards the Sun // The more he comes into his own, the more the Scottish folkie sounds like Nick Drake. #okaybyme

39. The Antlers - Burst Apart // Finding beauty in the most painful parts of life isn’t as difficult as we think—it begins where it ends.

38. J. Mascis - Several Shades of Why // Dinosaur Jr. leader cuts back on the noise in favor of somber, melodic, affecting pop.

37. Okkervil River - I Am Very Far // Their best since Black Sheep Boy. I didn’t play it nearly enough in ‘11. I expect it will age well.

36. The Roots - undun // Is it a coincidence that they’ve made 3 of their finest albums since setting up camp at Late Night? I think not.

35. The Black Keys - El Camino // Along w/ Spoon, probably the most consistently enjoyable rock—and I mean ROCK—band in the biz today.

34. TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light // Those crazy sonic experiments of yore have given way to a steady & sturdy diet of groove rock.

33. Elbow - Build a Rocket Boys! // The perpetually under-appreciated English rockers strike back w/ yet another big, bold set of tunes.

32. The Throne - Watch the Throne // Jay & Ye can’t quite reach the bar set by expectations (and egos) but even a misfire’s pretty solid.

31. Motopony - Motopony // They’ll only get better from here, but I already like this soulful, pop-friendly take on roadhouse rock ‘n’ roll.

30. Cold War Kids - Mine Is Yours // “They sold out.” OK. “They’re not cool anymore.” Fine, whatever. Just give this album a second chance.

29. My Morning Jacket - Circuital // A slow grower like Z, but I doubt this will age quite as well. Even so, it’s better than Evil Urges.

28. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for My Halo // Boozy, bluesy folk rock w/ smokey vocals and finely picked guitar. My fave rainy day album of ‘11.

27. Beirut - The Rip Tide // From the Baltics to the Riviera, Zach Condon settles on a style somewhere in between, makes best LP to date.

26. Jessica Lea Mayfield - Tell Me // Classic country tales of heartbreak and revenge told by a young lady wise beyond her years.

25. Yellow Ostrich - The Mistress // Frontman Alex Schaaf’s layered vocals become pretty solo harmonies on this bedroom-recorded debut.

24. The Cave Singers - No Witch // Another set of charming & often understated porch songs from the Seattle trio on their Jagjaguwar debut.

23. The Dodos - No Color // Back to being a duo, except when backed by the always stunning vocals of Neko Case, who aptly steals the show.

22. Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire // While not quite a Heartbreaker sequel, Adams returns to his old “just-a-guy-with-a-guitar” self. #andapiano

21. Cults - Cults // Proof that “Go Outside” and “Oh My God” weren’t flukes, Cults’ debut is chock full ’60s jams for millennials.

20. Paul Simon - So Beautiful or So What // The old-timer shows he’s still got plenty of spring in his step w/ archetypal, spry pop tunes.

19. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues // The well springs eternal—I thought I’d stop caring, but they now seem even more worthy of acclaim.

18. Dum Dum Girls - Only in Dreams // The songwriting has matured, the performances refined, and these ladies sound better than ever.

17. The Low Anthem - Smart Flesh // Hushed melodies and whispering folk intercut w/ rambunctious honky tonk. Clarinet never sounded so good.

16. Tycho - Dive // The soundtrack to your next sun-drenched vacation. Or the accompaniment for a slideshow of that one from your childhood.

15. Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean // Production values & instrumentation have grown leaps & bounds, but Sam still writes pretty tunes.

14. Charles Bradley - No Time for Dreaming // Hard-luck 53-year-old’s debut album is a remarkably poignant record of northern funk & soul.

13. Destroyer - Kaputt // Dan Bejar unabashedly embraces cheesy synth- & sax-filled adult contemporary sounds, then repurposes them as cool.

12. Adele - 21 // A rare hit LP made for all comers. Still hoping the superior “Rumour” & “Waiting” become as huge as “Rolling” & “Someone”.

11. Real Estate - Days // Stuck between a distant memory of a summer past & a deep longing for a return to the warmth. A sunny melancholy.

10. Thao & Mirah - S/T // Proof that two heads are better than one. A playful, girly, but very much rocking set of power pop.

9. Megafaun - Megafaun // They may not yet be stars like their former bandmate Justin Vernon, but these Carolina boys deserve accolades too.

8. Feist - Metals // Aided by Chilly Gonzales and the ladies of Mountain Man, Feist forges a darker, more forceful (but still pretty) sound.

7. tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l // Merrill Garbus sounds like Nina Simone, but remixed. Punchy horns, syncopated rhythms, “Powa”-ful vocals.

6. White Denim - D // Schizo-rock mixes folk, psychedelia, pop & plenty more on the perfect soundtrack for your summer barbecue/pool party.

5. Booker T Jones - The Road From Memphis // Grammy voters used to nominate similar LPs out of sheer veneration, yet they slept on this gem?

4. R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now // Not their best, yet a well-earned victory lap & fitting end for a forebear of indie rock. #sentimentalpick

3. The Decemberists - The King is Dead // Colin Meloy & co. finally shed their faux-English facade w/ help from Gillian Welch & Peter Buck.

2. Radiohead - The King of Limbs // An atypically understated (and underrated) LP is uplifted by the sublime album-closing triumvirate.

1. Bon Iver - Bon Iver // An album that sounds like the ’80s—not how they actually were, but how I remember them. Hazily. Fondly. Wistfully.

My 2011 musical year featured a lot more ladies than I’m used to. Perhaps it was the “Feminine Side” mix I made in the early part of the year, perhaps it was simply a fluke. More likely, however, I believe that this growing trend is here to stay. My tastes are broadening, and that means moving out of my normal silos of listening and allowing myself to enjoy a wealth of styles from a woman’s perspective.

I’ve always loved female vocalists in Americana and pop, but 2011 truly brought the rock, thanks to the likes of tUnE-yArDs, Wild Flag and Thao & Mirah, to name a few. On the softer side, Dum Dum Girls, Feist and Laura Marling all surprised me with stellar albums.

In other trends, my usual genre distributions bore themselves out on my list. Lots of mid-tempo rock, Americana and a fair amount of electronic stuff (though that usually dominates my singles list a little more than the albums list). Add to that a smattering of R&B, hiphop and electro-pop. Looking at the list from a distance, it very accurately represents my musical tastes, as always.

One of the things I think a lot of lists tend to miss out on, in their attempt to present a certain point of view, is a lack of variety. I think I’ve done that pretty well, and I’m not simply talking about representation of genre, but age. My top 20 features 3 artists in their 50s or older (Booker T, Charles Bradley and Paul Simon), proving that you don’t have to be young to make something of value.

This is, though, still a young person’s game. There are some bright futures ahead for the likes of Cloud Nothings, Caitlin Rose, Yellow Ostrich, and plenty others not old enough to rent a car.

Musically, my #1 album represents something I heard in a lot of recordings in 2011, which is a vague memory of the mid-to-late-80s. Specifically, everything seems to sound like 1987 to me. Which is weird, because pretty soon after 1987 I started to think that was a terrible thing to sound like. But time heals all wounds, and now I look back fondly at my youth and the songs I chose to soundtrack it. And now, thanks to 2011, if I don’t want to hear those old songs, I can listen to ones that remind me of them. It’s like playing telephone with your own memories.

After looking into the past, all that’s left to do is look into the future. In 2012, I will boldly predict for myself that I will acquire less music than I did in 2011. Actually, it’s not so much prediction as a goal. For reasons I still don’t understand, I bought more CDs and vinyl this year than any previous year in my entire life.

Add to that a year-long eMusic subscription, free downloads from my local library, and plenty of blog reading and downloading, and I increased my already too-large music collection by a whopping 3,478 tracks. In case you’re curious, that’s 238 hours of music. 

So my goal for 2012 is to cut back. I will acquire no more than 2 CDs per month. I will add no more than 100 tracks per month to my iTunes library. I will not listen to more than 160 2012 releases just so I can make this list at the end of next year. Instead, I will attempt to enjoy what I already have. Because let’s face it, I have plenty.

And I’ve said plenty, so I might as well stop here. But before I go, just a few extra bits, like this bonus: I’m also including my list of top 10 EPs below. So much music, I know. But I promise it’s all good.

10. The Fresh & Onlys - Secret Walls // Surf guitar for your nighttime bonfires and trips to the drive-in theater, from some NorCal dudes.

9. Pickwick - Myths // These blue-eyed soul/funk players are one of the fastest-rising bands in the always flourishing Seattle scene.

8. Phantogram - Nightlife // Electro/dance duo continues their ascent toward stardom, thanks to tracks like the choppy, dreamy “Don’t Move”.

7. Toro y Moi - Freaking Out // Chillwave pioneer also put out a full-length in 2011, but it’s the EP that’s got me excited for what’s next.

6. Guster - On the Ocean // Collecting odds-n-ends (b-sides, live cuts, remixes) does not an album make, but it’s a perfect fit for an EP.

5. Dirty Gold - Roar // Sounding like a tropical vacation w/o all the tropes & stereotypes is a difficult task, but Dirty Gold is up to it.

4. The Decemberists - Long Live the King // How does a band follow up on its best-ever album? With an EP brimming w/ equally strong tracks.

3. TV Girl - Benny and the Jetts // A Bandcamp discovery (via @KEXP)—technicolor pop for your swingin’ ’60s parties and Mad Men marathons.

2. White Denim - Takes Place in Your Work Space // As generous as they are talented. Download it while it’s hot: http://whitedenimmusic.com/TPIYWS/

1. Dom - Family of Love // Jangly guitar pop w/ a heavy ’90s alternative influence (plus a dash of the ’80s). My favorite discovery of ‘11.

Last but not least, here’s some more Spotify love for my Top 102 Songs of 2011 playlist. I promise that’s the last of it. I went from LP to EP to single. You can’t get any smaller than that.